The Transition to a State Medical Service
1942-08 1942 1940s 8 pages (70) It is recognised that many practitioners have invested large sums in their houses and practices and hope to recover them eventually by the sale of these practices. They have built up a goodwill which is as much their own possession as any other form of investment. A s...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
August 1942
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/6FFFD85C-67A7-401F-BEB5-417ED69721BE http://hdl.handle.net/10796/D5DDC7F0-1137-4641-BDF2-19FFF417EC10 |
| Summary: | 1942-08
1942
1940s
8 pages
(70) It is recognised that many practitioners have invested large sums in their houses and practices and hope to recover them eventually by the sale of these practices. They have built up a goodwill which is as much their own possession as any other form of investment. A scheme of compensation for practices will therefore be necessary, and will have to be so elastic that no practitioner, however unusual his circumstances, shall feel that he has been unfairly dealt with. Many young practitioners, and some who are no longer very young, owe sums, large in the aggregate, to insurance companies and others. These will have to be put in a position to make a new start in the State Service without undue hardship. (71) Pensions will be available upon the usual Civil Service lines — that is, compulsory retirement will operate at the age of 60, although this age may be extended where particular circumstances seem to make this desirable in the public interest. It will be possible, on the other hand, to retire at an earlier age upon something less than the full rate of pension, as, for example, in the case of sickness or for other personal reasons. Pensions will, in general, be at the rate of two-thirds of the annual salary. Marriage and children's allowances, as well as widows' pensions, will form part of the normal conditions of the service. (72) The actual payment received by a member of the Service will consist of the basic rate of pay of his grade supplemented by allowances of various kinds. For the purposes of the basic rate of pay, there will be three grades. General practitioners who elect to join at the inception of the Service will be graded according to their length of service, special aptitudes and any other relevant factors. A certain degree of seniority will ordinarily entitle practitioners to removal into the next highest grade, but removals at an earlier than the normal date may also be justified by special circumstances or merits. The Union believes that regular promotions, conditioned only by good conduct and length of service, will at least provide a fair and sufficient return for services. In so far as grading is not automatic, it will be supervised by a committee upon which the general practitioner's side of the service is strongly represented and which will include nominees of the professional organisations of general practitioners. (73) It is not possible to quote rates of pay while the purchasing power of the pound is so variable from week to week. (74) Allowances would be made in respect of (a) special costs such as those involved in rural practice; (b) use of the practitioner's house for practice purposes — mostly in rural areas; (c) travelling and mileage; (d) dispensing, etc. REPRESENTATION OF PRACTITIONERS (75) Professional Committees must be set up to represent the medical staff, and to deal with such disciplinary, scientific, or other matters as may be referred to them. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION. (1) The creation of a special Ministry for personal health services which would take over certain services specified in paragraphs 4 to 7 hereof, would cease to be concerned with a second class of services, paragraphs 23 to 52, which now occupy much of its time, and would initiate long-term planning and certain new services set out in paragraphs 4 and 5. (2) The constitution of a special department or Ministry to which would be referred, for the present, the environmental health services. LOCAL ADMINISTRATION. (3) The delimiting of certain areas to be known as Health Areas, see paragraphs 17 and 18 hereof. (4) The setting up within these areas of Area Health Committees composed of not more than 50 per cent. of representatives of local authorities, including a variety of representation of special interests, and having a chairman appointed by the Minister of Health or by the appropriate Government departments in Scotland and Wales. (5) The provision of an adequate staff, including an Area Health Officer, experienced in clinical medicine and administration, in each of these Areas. (6) The transference to area control, under such Acts and Regulations as Parliament may approve, of all hospitals, both voluntary and municipal, within the area, and of all clinics. (7) The financing of health administration within these areas in part by block grants and in part by precepts from local rating authorities. (8) The inclusion of all domiciliary medical services within the operations of the Area Health Committee, based upon the right of all general practitioners and specialists to become salaried officers of the State. (9) Local administration of the environmental services would, until the Ministry of Health is able to plan for their absorption, remain in the hands of existing authorities or such other authorities as the Legislature may from time to time approve. LONG-TERM PLANNING. (10) The Union is very greatly impressed with the need for long-term planning of health services, both centrally and locally, and recommends that special departments and committees should be set up to deal with the work (including area surveys) essential to the making of satisfactory plans. 8
292/847/1/4 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |